Just as allegations against Prajwal, who now says he will “prove” his innocence and “join” the probe, involved women with little agency, his mother Bhavani was recently caught on camera as she browbeat an ordinary citizen.The video makes for instructive viewing. A motorcyclist accidentally brushed Bhavani’s clearly expensive looking SUV. Her car received minor scratches. She stormed out of the car, yelling at the man on the bike: “If you wanted to die, you should have crashed into a bus. This car costs Rs 1.5 crore and it is damaged. Burn the bike…someone call the police sub-inspector and ask him to seize the vehicle.” Onlookers requested her to let go. She retorted: “The car will cost Rs 50 lakh to repair. You intervene only if you agree to pay.”
Patriarch Deve Gowda, when asked about his daughter-in-law, whom he’s very fond of per those who know the family, said her behaviour was an outcome of post-surgery stress.
Bhavani was reportedly the key reason Prajwal got the Hassan Lok Sabha ticket. Whispers about his conduct have been around for a year. Some in JD(S) were of the view that he should not be nominated. But those who track the family said she was so forceful in her support for her son that HD Kumaraswamy, ex-CM and the second-most important Gowda after HD senior, gave in.
Two of the four Deve Gowda sons active in politics, HD Kumaraswamy and HD Revanna, are in fact two rivals to their father’s legacy. For now, Revanna is staying put in Hassan and consolidating the local power base, aided by his wife, say local political observers. The latter pushed for Prajwal’s debut in 2019. State political analysts had noted how Deve Gowda had left the Hassan seat for his grandson and shifted to Tumakuru, where he famously lost.
But it has not all been smooth sailing for the Revannas. Prajwal’s earlier debut plan was to contest in the 2018 assembly election. He felt his uncle, Kumaraswamy, had scuttled his nomination from the Hunsur constituency. He responded by publicly accusing the JD(S) leadership, meaning Kumaraswamy, of promoting a “suitcase culture” and “ignoring” party workers who are “loyal”.
The problem for JD(S) functionaries is that “when they step outside Hassan, they bump into HDK family”.
Kumaraswamy, whose propensity for tearing up in public made national headlines more than once, is of course no stranger to controversies. In 2011, he found himself in a legal tangle — a petition was filed against him in high court, accusing him of planning a second marriage with a Kannada actress. The petition asked for his disqualification as an MP. The case hit headlines. But the accusation could not be proved.
Then there’s Nikhil, heir apparent to HDK and, for now, an actor, after his failed bid to become an MP from Mandya in 2019. When just 19, Nikhil, when denied service in a Bengaluru restaurant when he and his friends landed up after midnight, was accused of pretty much ransacking the place. The year was 2006. His father, Kumaraswamy, was then CM.
Those who know the Gowdas well say that the family is known for its long memory for slights directed at them and vindictive behaviour towards perceived enemies. This includes not just politicians but also bureaucrats, especially those posted in the home districts of the Gowdas: Hassan and Ramanagara.
So, what happens after the Prajwal scandal? HD Deve Gowda, who publicly addresses women as ‘nanna thayiandiru’ (my mothers), is silent. HD Revanna is trying out the trope “these are old allegations”. HD Kumaraswamy has quickly distanced his family, his father, and BJP from Prajwal’s family, while also charging Congress with attempts to defame the Gowdas.
Right now, things don’t look good for the Gowdas. But Karnataka’s political veterans say there’s very little chance this incident will do any lasting damage to the family. There are two reasons. First, the Gowdas know how to wriggle out of difficult situations. Second, in all the drama that will follow in the wake of the Prajwal tapes, his alleged sexual harassment will become just one another scandal.
Given the gravity of the allegations that may seem strange — and unfair — but that’s just how it’s been for the Gowdas.